Shiyazh Pete’s time with the Dallas Cowboys was brief, but his NFL debut gave fellow Navajo citizens a moment to remember. When the rookie offensive lineman took the field for a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals in August, thousands of fans who had traveled from across the Navajo Nation erupted in cheers, waving tribal flags and exclaiming “yéego,” an affirmation that translates roughly to “with great effort, do it.”
Pete played just six snaps, but returned to the sideline to a standing ovation — a powerful show of support for the first member of the Navajo Nation to sign with an NFL team.
